06 Sep 2023
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Sam Altman’s Take on “How to be Successful”

Sam Altman’s Take on “How to be Successful”

Photo Credit: Vox Sam Altman is a computer programmer, entrepreneur, and the current CEO of OpenAI. He was previously the CEO of the incubator Y Combinator and founder (at the age of 19) of a social network mobile app, Loopt. I recently came across a blog post Altman shared in 2019 titled, “How to be Successful,” where Altman shares 13 thoughts on how to achieve outlier success. I am going to read and comment on the 13 thoughts in his post and share my take with the Personal Kaizen community. Will some of Altman’s 13 thoughts be worth adding to…
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02 Aug 2023
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Excellent Advice for Living

Excellent Advice for Living

I recently finished the 2023 book Excellent Advice for Living, Wisdom I Wish I’d Known Earlier by Kevin Kelly. Kelly is an author, the founding executive editor of Wired magazine, and a former editor/publisher of the Whole Earth Review. Kelly collected 68 bits of wisdom to share with his adult children on his 68th birthday. When they asked for more, he kept going until he had about 450 – enough to publish in a book. Each page of the book contains a few bits of advice – here are some of our favorites. Advice on Values Don’t define yourself by your opinions, because…
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05 Jul 2023
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Marshmallows and the Benefit of Delayed Gratification

Marshmallows and the Benefit of Delayed Gratification

Imagine a 4-year-old child sitting down with treats in front of them — one marshmallow on one side of their plate and two on the other side. Beside the child is a bell. The child is asked whether she would prefer one marshmallow or two. Most children say, “Two!” The adult then says: “Here’s how we play the game. I am going to leave the room. While I’m gone, if you can wait for me to come back, then you get two marshmallows. If you don’t want to wait, ring the bell, but then you get one marshmallow, not two.”…
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07 Jun 2023
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Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time

Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time

While providing leadership training for an organization a few weeks ago, the importance of time management was discussed. I surprised the leaders in the room when I stated that I now believe it is more important to manage your energy, not your time. Here is the science and personal experience behind my response. The Importance of Time Management Nobody, including me, should ignore the importance of time management. We have covered the topic in the past in several areas, including a post on priority setting. We also wrote a post on work-life balance. Setting goals, identifying priorities, and adding actions…
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10 May 2023
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Work-Life Balance Made Simple With These 3 Rules

Work-Life Balance Made Simple With These 3 Rules

Trying to manage the perfect work-life balance can often be a challenge. This week the Personal Kaizen team shares a TedTalk by behavioral scientist and Harvard Business School professor Ashley Whillans, where she shares 3 rules for a better work-life balance. https://www.ted.com/talks/ashley_whillans_3_rules_for_better_work_life_balance 3 Rules for Better Work-Life Balance We previously shared a simple tool you can use to prioritize your life while also improving your work/life balance. This goes hand in hand with the 3 rules that Ashley Whillans shares. Let's recap the 3 rules below. Reframe rest: Find ways to be present during time off instead of seeing it as an…
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26 Apr 2023
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Meditating on Your Mortality

Meditating on Your Mortality

Meditating on your mortality can be scary, but it can also help you focus on maximizing each day. What would you change about your life if a doctor told you that you have cancer? Would you stop wasting your life and prioritize your limited time remaining? We are here to tell you that you are going to die. All of us have a terminal diagnosis. Most of us don’t know how or when, but it is going to happen. Near Death Experiences Many people describe a renewed clarity and focus on the future after having a brush with death. Sixteenth-century…
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29 Mar 2023
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Celebrating Failure and Its Unexpected Success

Celebrating Failure and Its Unexpected Success

Many people shy away from failure. There's constant wonder and worry about what will happen to an individual when they fail, especially in their place of work. However, we're here to confirm that celebrating failure can and often brings unexpected success. This week the Personal Kaizen team shares a TedTalk by the Head of X (formerly Google X), Astro Teller, where he introduces the "Moonshot Factory" where his team works to solve the world's biggest problems, and celebrates failure as a necessity for success. https://www.ted.com/talks/astro_teller_the_unexpected_benefit_of_celebrating_failure Important Steps to Success In the past, we shared a post encouraging you to try…
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15 Mar 2023
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Die With Zero: Maximizing Your Money and Your Life

Die With Zero: Maximizing Your Money and Your Life

Bill Perkins wrote Die with Zero – Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life in 2020 and it has become a highly recommended book. Dying with zero is about both money and time. We all need to think more about how we use our limited time on earth and live our best life. The goal is not to be as rich as possible; the goal is to maximize your total life enjoyment. This post summarizes key points from the book and shares some simple tools that will help you maximize your total life enjoyment. Rules from the…
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15 Feb 2023
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Why More is Less – The Paradox of Choice

Why More is Less – The Paradox of Choice

The 2004 book, The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz was recently recommended. The book references studies from behavioral economics and psychology on choice and happiness. It concludes that adopting a life attitude of “good enough” is going to result in better mental health than always striving to make the best choice. Schwartz explains that while we may have more options today than ever before, we are more likely to second guess a decision, worry if we made the best choice, or even avoid making any decision (paralysis by analysis). Schwartz believes “satisficers” who pick what…
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18 Jan 2023
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The Swedish Concept of Lagom: How to Find Balance

The Swedish Concept of Lagom: How to Find Balance

The Personal Kaizen team reviewed the tenth annual rankings of the happiest countries in the world and read several books that examine what these countries do that is different and better. This week we share the Swedish concept of lagom and wrap up our series. 2022 Rankings of the Happiest Countries in the World Below are the 2022 United Nations Rankings for a few of the Happiest Countries in the World. We share a few of the positive outcomes that contributed to the high ranking and one defining word for the country. Our previous posts have looked at how sisu…
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